Charles Rangel, a former New York congressman and trailblazer in the House of Representatives for nearly 50 years, has died at 94.
Rangel’s death was confirmed by the City College of New York on Monday, which said the long-time lawmaker died on Memorial Day.
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Rangel was first elected to Congress in 1970, where co-founded the Congressional Black Caucus and was the first black chairman of the Ways and Means Committee.
“He served for 23 terms in the House of Representatives and was cited as the most effective lawmaker in Congress, leading all of his colleagues in passing legislation,” the college said in a statement.
He ultimately retired from Congress in 2017 and went on to serve as statesman-in-residence at the City College.
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Tributes to Rangel quickly flooded social media, with Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) calling Rangel a “phenomenal patriot, hero, statesman, leader, trailblazer, change agent & champion for justice.”
“The Lion of Lenox Ave was a transformational force of nature,” the New York Democrat continued. “Harlem, NYC & America are better today because of his service. May he forever rest in power.”